Multicultural Mass Evokes Diverse Flock

POPE JOHN PAUL II

April 9, 2005|By ViCtor Manuel Ramos, Sentinel Staff Writer

Roman Catholic parishioners and others sang hymns in English, Spanish and Latin. They heard exhortations in Creole. And many said the Lord's Prayer in their native tongue -- all without need for translation.

John Paul II, his life and ministry were the focus of a multicultural Mass on Friday at Orlando's St. James Cathedral that evoked the pope's outreach to a diverse flock.

Orlando Bishop Thomas Wenski focused his sermon on the pope's role as a moral beacon to "men and women of every language, of every race and every nation."

Wenski compared John Paul to those who have been canonized over the centuries.

"Saints are like windows. Through them, light shines. Not the light of the sun, but the light of the Son of God," Wenski said. "He never tired of placing before us the radical demands of the Gospel, and he urged us not to be afraid to embrace them."

Annie Giler, a native of Puerto Rico, was among the hundreds who filled the cathedral's pews.

"The Mass was beautiful," said Giler, who took time off her job nearby to attend. "It was nice to see several denominations and communities united in one body to honor him, as he would have wanted."

After the Mass, Wenski said there was no better way to honor the pontiff than with a multicultural ritual.

"The pope, especially by his ability to speak many languages, has given witness to the fact that all of God's children should find their home in the Father's house."